1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system and method for displaying instant messaging (IM) session history as time-based calendar events. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for formatting logged chat events and overlaying the formatted chat events onto an electronic calendar.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many people today use an electronic calendar as a time-management tool to track commitments such as conference calls, meetings, and appointments. In addition to being an effective time-management tool, the electronic calendar also provides the benefit of allowing a user to recall information corresponding to past events. For example, a user may wish to recall information corresponding to a business trip that occurred two months ago. In this example, the user may access the electronic calendar and identify the business trip by time and date. Furthermore, the user may have entered detail information into the electronic calendar, such as specific customer meetings and customer names, which is retrievable using the electronic calendar.
Electronic calendars are typically stored on an electronic device, such as a computer, phone, or personal digital assistant. In addition to storing the electronic calendar, a user typically uses these devices as a communication tool, such as sending and receiving email. One prevalent tool that users use to communicate is instant messaging (IM), which allows a user to send/receive messages directly to/from another user when a user is logged onto a network. A user invokes a “chat session” with one or more users and, in turn, the users send messages to each other in a conversation-like manner.
Some instant messaging systems store a log, or chat history, of a user's chat sessions on the electronic device. The chat history may be stored as raw text files and viewed using a text editor. Or, the chat history may be viewable using a navigational device that functions like a file system explorer. In either case, existing art makes it difficult to recall chat history details.
Chat history, however, may be as important to a user as saved email messages. For example, a user may need to refer to a detail, decision, or a user's comment that occurred during a chat session. A challenge found with existing art is that there is no user-friendly approach to recall chat history in the same manner that there is with an electronic calendar.
What is needed, therefore, is a system and method that provides a time-based solution for a user to recall chat history details.